Brooke...again

Brooke Fraser came up to perform in LA back in June. I was so excited about the prospect of seeing her again at the Hotel Cafe! Unfortunately, there was one slight problem. I was in Hong Kong at the time. So, I was deeply saddened. Not only would I miss Brooke in LA, but I also missed Bic in LA in March (I had class and no ride to Hollywood) and the Black Seeds in LA in October (this I can forgive b/c I was in NZ). You can imagine my surprise & delight when I heard just over a week ago, when I was deathly ill with a nasty illness (thank you cipro), that Brooke would be back in LA for another show at the Hotel Cafe and that I would actually be there to see it! I'm so glad I had the chance to make up for the previous show that I missed and that I had the pleasure of listening to her perform some new songs off her latest album. Anyways, enough of me blabbering on...here are some photos for you all to enjoy!

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So here's a quick little photo of Brooke & the band (keys, bass & drums) playing a song on the tiny little Hotel Cafe stage. While the stage was still tiny, they expanded the audience area to roughly twice as large as it used to be. Despite all that new (to me at least) space, it was actually super packed inside. Her fan base in LA has definitely grown and I was amazed how many people were there to see her. It was ridiculously hot and I could barely move without hitting a neighbor. I apologize for the photo quality but, again, I had the flash off so as not to disturb Ms. Fraser. Anyhow, off the top of my head, I can remember the following songs being performed: "Lifeline", "Love, Where is Your Fire?", "Deciphering Me", "Arithmetic", "Shadowfeet", "C.S. Lewis Song", "Albertine" and "The Thief". She had wonderful stories to tell and I wish I could share them all with you (it would be far too much to type). She played just about every song I wanted to hear (with the exception of "Better") and it was spot on. Beautiful voice, neat arrangements and overall just an amazing night. The highlights for me would've been when she played "Arithmetic" and "The Thief" solo and w/o the accompaniment of her band. I'd say this has been another highlight of this summer!

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So I hung around after the show hoping to get a chance to meet her again and I waited, waited, waited and waited some more. Other people were doing the same and so we were all just chilling outside of the performers room while Brooke was inside chatting with band members & friends. It was getting a good long while and I contemplated leaving before a girl (who I presume was a friend of Brooke's since she had been putting up posters before the show & was involved in selling CD's after the show) came up and asked if I was waiting to see Brooke. She told me that Brooke was pretty busy, may not be able to greet fans and would probably be leaving soon so if I wanted to get anything signed, I should hand it to her. So, she took the pictured poster and took it in to be signed just as she said she would. That was awfully nice of her but I wanted to stick around just a bit longer to see if I might have the fortune of getting a picture with Brooke as well...

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Another fan & I eventually mustered up the courage to sneak into the private room (after encouragement from another girl who I presumed was a friend of the band members) as Brooke was just finishing a chat with the last couple of people she was seeing in the room. She looked pretty tired and just about ready to leave but was very willing to see just a couple more of us before doing so. I had a quick minute or so to thank her for coming, compliment the performance, snap a pic and wish her safe travels before allowing her to leave in peace. So there we are in the above pic...Brooke & I (and my Sunny Dunedin Shirt)! What an awesome way to cap the evening!

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So there you have it folks. I apologize for the quiet past couple of weeks or so but, as I mentioned, I was recovering from an illness and was pretty much bedridden for a good long while. I'm glad I was able to make a recovery, attend my final class as a BME Masters Student and, to top it all off, see, hear and meet Brooke once again! I'm pretty damn happy at the moment and I hope all you out there, wherever you may be, are feeling the same for whatever reason. Take care of each other, have fun and hopefully I'll be updating you guys about some more fun things or about a new job in the near future. Aroha!